California 

egional 

acility 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


AN  ORATION 

by 
BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  HENRY  H.  BINGHAM 

at  the 

UNVEILING  OF 

THE  EQUESTRIAN  STATUE 

of 

MAJOR-GENERAL  WINFIELD  SCOTT  HANCOCK 

on  the 

BATTLEFIELD  OF  GETTYSBURG 

JUNE  5  1896 


PHILADELPHIA 
1899 


One  Hundred  Copies  Privately  Printed 
No.     8. 


CD 


lENRY  H.  BlNGHAM 


i  9                 fs  with  the  smile  of 

1  £  >m  the  bright  blue 

2  d  the  rich  coloring 
£  fitful  earth,  we  sol- 
-  m                  iy  of  the  Potomac 

O 

^       m  a  Republic  conse- 

'Q  co       H  and  equality  under 

5  f  '-       H  ''er  and  benediction 

O  * 

TJ  watches  over  the 

z  >  g  upward  and  for- 

""-  C7  ?N 

i                p  iving.  declare  our 

^                J  American  citizen." 

>  m  :n  the  distinctions 

>  >  ny  responsibilities 

1*  the  wishes  and 
people  to  place  in 
ncock  civil  author- 
impartial  history 
will  do  complete 
;  full  deserving. 


550169 


One  Hun 


ADDRESS 

of 
BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  HENRY  H.  BINGHAM 


O-DAY,  auspicious  with  the  smile  of 
God  reflected  from  the  bright  blue 
cloudless  sky  and  the  rich  coloring 
of  a  teeming-,  fruitful  earth,  we  sol- 
diers of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
and  citizens  here  gathered,  of  a  Republic  conse- 
crated to  the  freedom  of  man,  and  equality  under 
the  law,  bow  our  heads  in  prayer  and  benediction 
to  that  Providence  that  ever  watches  over  the 
destiny  of  nations,  and  looking  upward  and  for- 
ward with  joy  and  thanksgiving,  declare  our 
cherished  birthright,  "I  am  an  American  citizen." 
"Whatever  may  have  been  the  distinctions 
and  honors  enjoyed,  the  many  responsibilities 
accepted  and  well  discharged,  the  wishes  and 
hopes  of  a  great  part  of  our  people  to  place  in 
the  hands  of  Winf  ield  Scott  Hancock  civil  author- 
ity and  constitutional  power,  impartial  history 
and  occasion  other  than  this  will  do  complete 
justice*  Time  will  not  mar  his  full  deserving* 


550169 


Our  thought  to-day  goes  out  to  the  superb 
soldier,  his  work  in  battle,  this  memorable  field 
and  its  many  lessons* 

Pennsylvania,  that  gave  to  the  cause  of  the 
Union  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  3J5.0J7  white 
soldiers,  86)2  black  soldiers  and  (4,307  sailors 
and  marines,  aggregating  337,936,  by  legislative 
enactment  places  upon  this  historic  field,  to  re- 
main as  long  as  a  grateful  people  love  liberty, 
and  a  constitutional  government  obeyed  by  all, 
monuments  to  the  three  distinguished  soldiers  of 
our  Commonwealth  who  fought,  bled  and  died 
upon  the  soil  of  their  loved  State*  Words  elo- 
quent and  true,  though  language  is  poor  to  ex- 
press his  great  deservings,  have  this  day  dedicated 
the  bronze  and  iron  and  stone,  that  history, 
through  the  sculptor's  art,  may  exhibit  the  heroic, 
a  monument  to  Major-General  George  Gordon 
Meade*  May  the  love  and  veneration  of  the 
people  for  this  great  soldier,  be  commensurate 
with  his  mighty  work  upon  this  blood-stained 
field,  and  their  memory  as  lasting  as  the  Union 
which  here  he  did  so  much  to  maintain  and  pre- 
serve. 

Winfield  Scott  Hancock  was  one  of  twin 
brothers,  born  amid  the  hills  of  Montgomery 
county,  Pennsylvania,  on  February  J4,  J824* 
His  father,  Benjamin  Franklin  Hancock,  and  his 


mother,  Elizabeth  Hoxworth,  gave  him  the  min- 
gled blood  of  an  English,  Scotch  and  Welsh  an- 
cestry. At  the  age  of  \6  he  entered  West  Point 
as  a  cadet,  and  was  graduated  in  1844.  His 
very  early  service  was  frontier  duty  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  and  in  J847  and  J848  we  find  him 
active  and  courageous  in  many  of  the  battles  of 
the  Mexican  war,  receiving  his  brevet  as  first  lieu- 
tenant "for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in 
the  battles  of  Contreras  and  Churubusco."  His 
service  was  of  a  general  character  after  the  Mex- 
ican war,  usual  to  young  officers  of  his  rank* 
He  seemed,  however,  to  have  developed  traits  of 
character,  detail  and  method  during  the  years 
J850  to  J86J,  specially  qualifying  him  for  that 
larger  field  of  usefulness  which  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  imme- 
diately called  upon  to  enter  as  a  commanding 
officer.  Whatever  he  did  was  done  critically  and 
thoroughly.  No  amount  of  detail  ever  discour- 
aged him;  the  regulations  were  his  constant 
guide.  His  years  since  the  Mexican  war  were 
full  of  observation,  thoughtful  reflection  and 
training;  all  in  the  direction  of  his  profession 
and  developing  his  mental  powers  in  a  marked 
degree.  The  year  J86J  found  him  a  soldier  of 
mature  years,  devoted  to  his  career,  absolute  in 
his  faith  and  fidelity  to  his  government,  and 


knowing  no  duty  other  than  the  upholding  of 
the  honor  and  integrity  of  his  country's  flag.  He 
had  been  trained  for  war  "mindful  of  the  fact 
that  a  mere  multitude  of  brave  men  armed  to  the 
teeth  make  neither  a  good  army  nor  a  national 
defence."  And  when  it  came  in  all  of  the  terrible 
force  of  civil  strife  and  secession,  it  found  a  soldier 
capable  of  great  deeds,  great  commands  and  great 
victories. 

Handsome  in  form,  commanding  in  mien 
and  carriage,  the  soldier  marking  each  feature  of 
his  clear-cut  face,  earnest  in  his  every  word,  obe- 
dient to  his  superiors,  exacting  every  obligation 
of  duty  from  those  whom  he  commanded,  im- 
pressing all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  with 
confidence,  trust,  ability,  power,  and,  above  all, 
self-reliant  courage.  One  felt  safe  when  near 
him.  **  A  combination  and  a  form,  indeed,  where 
every  god  did  seem  to  set  his  seal  to  give  the 
world  assurance  of  a  man."  He  was  appointed 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  in  September, 
J86J.  At  Williamsburg,  Va^  he  gained  a  bril- 
liant victory  over  a  superior  force,  and  a  distin- 
guished military  historian  thus  writes:  "In  that 
little  battle  were  displayed  on  his  part  technical 
skill  and  personal  gallantry.  By  his  generalship 
and  personal  magnificence  he  won  the  title  of 
Hancock  the  Superb,  and  from  that  day  through 


the  war  his  career  was  one  of  hard  work. 
Through  it  may  be  seen  his  steady  growth  in  the 
higher  knowledge  belonging  to  his  profession  and 
the  acquirement  of  a  reputation  for  promptitude, 
gallantry  and  ability  which  finally  made  him,  as 
he  was  aptly  termed  by  a  distinguished  Con- 
federate general,  'a  thunderbolt  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.' " 

Already  he  had  won  the  confidence  of  his 
superior  officers,  and  as  a  brigade  commander  he 
was  conspicuous*  After  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
General  Richardson  having  been  mortally  wound- 
ed, he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First 
Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  and  thus  became 
allied  to  that  body  of  intrepid  soldiery  that  in 
history  will  receive  the  admiration  of  the  world* 
When  the  sword  of  command  fell  from  Richard- 
son's dying  hand,  the  historian  tells  us  that  he  at 
once  became  the  leader  of  the  division,  confident 
of  his  powers,  a  master  of  men*  "That  the  staff 
knew  it,  the  troops  felt  it*  Every  officer  in  his 
place,  and  every  man  in  the  ranks,  was  aware 
before  the  sun  went  down  that  he  belonged  to 
Hancock's  division*" 

Fredericfcsburg  and  Chancetiorsville,  with 
their  slaughter  and  retreat,  are  history,  but  in 
that  history  the  division  he  commanded  marked 
only  courage,  skill,  bravery  and  fame. 


General  Couch  having  been  transferred  to 
the  Department  of  the  Susquehanna,  no  soldier 
stood  to  impede  the  advance  of  Hancock  to  the 
command  of  his  immortal  Second  Corps.  Major- 
General  Nelson  A»  Miles,  now  commanding  the 
Army  of  the  United  States,  thos  writes  of  this 
great  body  of  men: 

"It  inscribed  a  greater  number  of  engage- 
ments upon  its  banner  than  did  any  other  corps 
of  the  army,  or,  I  think,  more  than  any  other 
army  corps  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The 
graves  of  its  fallen  are  to  be  found  on  every 
battlefield  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  the 
date  of  its  organization  to  Appomattox.  Its 
capture  of  battle  flags  outnumbered  its  engage- 
ments* As  the  war  for  the  Union  was  unprece- 
dented in  the  history  of  the  world,  so  the  history 
of  the  Second  Corps  was  unexcelled  in  that  war. 
Its  aggregate  wounded  and  killed  in  battle  sur- 
passed that  of  any  other  corps.  The  greatest 
aggregate  of  killed  and  wounded  in  any  division 
of  the  army  was  in  the  First  Division  of  that  corps, 
and  the  highest  aggregate  of  killed  and  wounded 
in  any  one  regiment  of  the  whole  army  was  in  a 
regiment  belonging  to  the  Second  Corps.  The 
largest  percentage  of  killed  and  wounded  in  a 
single  engagement  in  any  one  regiment  was  in  a 
regiment  belonging  to  the  Second  Corps.  The 


second  highest  percentage  of  regimental  loss 
by  death  and  wounds  was  also  in  a  regiment  of 
that  corps*  As  to  the  success  and  achievements 
of  that  famous  corps,  it  captured  in  a  single  day 
as  many  battle  flags*  cannon  and  prisoners  of  the 
enemy  as  it  lost  in  the  entire  four  years  of  war." 

In  Fox's  history  we  find : 

"The  Second  Corps  was  prominent  by  reason 
of  its  longer  and  continuous  service*  larger  organ- 
ization* hardest  fighting  and  greatest  number  of 
casualties.  Within  its  ranks  was  the  regiment 
which  sustained  the  largest  percentage  of  loss  in 
any  one  action;  also  the  regiment  which  sustained 
the  greatest  numerical  loss  in  any  one  action; 
also  the  regiment  which  sustained  the  greatest 
numerical  loss  during  its  term  of  service;  while 
of  the  JOO  regiments  in  the  Union  army  which 
lost  the  most  men  in  battle*  35  of  them  belonged 
to  the  Second  Corps," 

Under  date  of  August.  J864.  Major-General 
Hancock  writes  Lieutenant-General  Grant: 

"It  is  perhaps  known  to  you  that  this  corps 
had  never  lost  a  color  or  a  gun  previous  to  this 
campaign*  though  oftener  and  more  desperately 
engaged  than  any  other  corps  in  this  army.  or. 
perhaps,  in  any  other  in  the  country.  I  have  not 
the  means  of  knowing  exactly  the  number  of 
guns  and  colors  captured,  but  I  saw  myself  nine 


in  the  hands  of  one  division  at  Antietam,  and  the 
official  reports  show  that  34  fell  into  the  hands 
of  that  corps  at  Gettysburg.  Before  the  opening 
of  this  campaign  it  had  at  least  captured  over 
half  a  hundred  colors,  though  at  cost  of  over 
25,000  casualties*  During  this  campaign  you 
can  judge  how  well  the  corps  performed  its 
part*  It  has  captured  more  guns  and  colors  than 
all  the  rest  of  the  army  combined*  Its  reverses 
have  not  been  many,  and  they  began  only  when 
the  corps  was  dwindled  to  a  remnant  of  its  former 
strength*  after  it  had  lost  25  brigade  commanders* 
and  over  f  25  regimental  commanders,  and  over 
20,000  men." 

General  Grant  in  his  memoirs  says:  "Han- 
cock stands  the  most  conspicuous  figure  of  all  the 
general  officers  who  did  not  exercise  a  separate 
command*  He  commanded  a  corps  longer  than 
any  other  one  man,  and  his  name  was  never 
mentioned  as  having  committed  in  battle  a  blun- 
der. No  matter  how  hard  the  fight,  the  Second 
Corps  always  felt  that  their  commander  was 
looking  after  them." 

The  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  transferred  from  Hooker  to  Meade,  and  the 
loyal  North  and  the  troops,  officers  and  men, 
had  confidence  in  his  leadership,  and  that  confi- 
dence was  not  only  merited,  but  never  misplaced* 


10 


Lee's  invasion  of  Pennsylvania  was  to  estab- 
lish a  foothold  upon  free  soil — demand  a  tribute 
from  the  great  cities  and  recognition  from  foreign 
Powers.  It  is  needless  for  me  upon  this  occasion  to 
describe  the  battle.  The  death  of  the  brave  Rey- 
nolds on  July  \  on  these  hills  having  been  reported 
to  General  Meade,  Hancock  was  directed  to  " im- 
mediately proceed  without  delay  to  the  scene  of 
the  conflict."  A  wise  confidence,  indeed,  given 
Hancock  by  Meade,  in  the  order  that  placed  three 
army  corps  under  his  command  over  two  Major- 
Generals  his  seniors  in  rank,  and  directing  him 
"to  make  an  examination  of  the  ground  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Gettysburg,  its  facilities,  advan- 
tages and  disadvantages  for  receiving  battle," 
fully  illustrates  the  rapid  development  of  Han- 
cock's soldierly  abilities  and  capacities,  as  well  as 
the  confidence  and  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  his  commanding  officer.  His  arrival  upon 
the  field  of  battle  was  most  opportune.  Wreck, 
disaster,  disorder,  almost  the  panic  that  precedes 
disorganization,  defeat  and  retreat,  were  every- 
where* He  assumed  command ;  soldiers  retreat- 
ing stopped,  skulkers  appeared  from  under  their 
cover,  lines  were  reformed;  in  the  language  of 
the  writer :  "  And  as  the  sun  showing  through  a 
rift  in  the  clouds  may  change  a  scene  of  gloom  to 
one  of  beauty,  so  the  coming  of  this  prince  of 
11 


soldiers  brings  life  and  courage  to  all.  The  show 
of  force  everywhere,  with  lines  reformed,  caused 
Lee  to  hesitate  to  give  the  order  to  attack 
positions  naturally  strong. ~  That  delay  saved 
the  field  of  Gettysburg  to  the  Union  army." 

Waterloo  and  Gettysburg  are  marked  as  the 
two  great  battles  of  the  age.  The  Union  army 
numbered  82,000  men  and  300  guns;  the  Con- 
federate numbered  70,000  men  and  250  guns. 
The  battle  lasted  three  days  and  the  casualties 
upon  the  Union  side  were  23,003,  and  upon  the 
Confederate  27,525  men.  In  detail  the  Union 
cause  lost  3063  killed  and  \  4,492  wounded  and 
5435  missing  or  captured.  Many  of  the  wounded 
and  many  of  the  captured  died.  No  authentic 
details  are  available  for  the  Confederate  side. 
Pennsylvania's  bravery  upon  this  field  embraces 
26,628  men ;  in  detail,  68  regiments  of  infantry, 
8  regiments  of  cavalry  and  5  batteries  of  artillery. 
The  killed  and  mortally  wounded  are  67  officers 
and  964  men;  total,  J03J.  The  general  casual- 
ties number  5907. 

Hancock's  old  First  Division  of  his  corps 
suffered  great  loss  during  the  second  day's  fight, 
but  exhibited  its  usual  bravery.  The  enemy's 
assault  on  the  third  day  fell  directly  upon  Han- 
cock's front.  His  troops  maintained  their  record 
for  unyielding  courage  and  bravery  unexampled. 

12 


Wounded  severely  in  the  midst  of  the  fight,  he 
remained  upon  the  field  to  see  his  troops  capture 
"prisoners  by  the  thousands  and  battle  flags  in 
sheaves,"  and  to  dictate  a  dispatch  to  General 
Meade  that  "the  enemy  had  been  repulsed,"  the 
victory  of  victories  won* 

Returning  to  the  army  after  months  of  suf- 
fering and  painful  distress,  the  battle  flags  of  his 
matchless  corps  blazoned  with  victories,  he  again 
commanded  his  corps  at  the  Wilderness,  Spotsyl- 
vania,  North  Anna,  Totopotomoy,  Cold  Harbor, 
the  battles  before  Petersburg,  Deep  Bottom,  and 
upon  many  other  fields.  In  recognition  of  his 
magnificent  services  he  was  made  Brigadier- 
General,  U.  S.  A.,  August  J2,  J864;  Brevet 
Major-General,  U.  S.  A.,  March  J3,  J865 ;  Major- 
General,  U.  S.  A.,  July  26,  J866,  and  received  the 
thanks  of  Congress  May  30,  J866,  "for  his  gal- 
lant, meritorious  and  conspicuous  share  in  the 
great  and  decisive  victory." 

He  died  February  9,  J886,  at  Governor's 
Island,  New  York,  aged  62  years. 

(Addressing  the  Statue.) 

And  you,  great  soldier,  commissioned  a  gen- 
eration ago  to  carry  triumphant  the  flag  of  your 
country  on  this  field  of  battle — the  greatest  of 
the  century — well  done! 

13 


Pennsylvania,  your  native  State,  commissions 
you  as  sentinel  over  this  hallowed  ground.  The 
army  is  all  around  you;  the  lines  of  battle  are 
marked  in  stone*  and  you  of  bronze  and  iron, 
will  ever  watch  and  ward* 

Great  deeds  and  heroism  unexampled  saved 
the  day  in  1863.  Great  memories  and  obliga- 
tions, never  to  be  forgotten,  will  companion  you 
through  the  years  to  come* 

Meade,  Hancock  and  Reynolds  keep  guard 
eternal.  "God  reigns  and  the  government  at 
"Washington  still  lives!" 

What  are  the  lessons  of  this  field  of  blood, 
valor  and  death?  Do  they  teach  us  much  or 
little? 

"A  brave  man  knows  no  malice,  but  at  once 
forgets  in  peace  the  injuries  of  war,  and  gives  his 
direst  foe  a  friend's  embrace." 

While  as  a  citizen  and  a  soldier,  recalling 
what  was  done  at  Gettysburg  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Union,  I  may  venture  to  hope  that  the 
time  is  coming,  if  it  has  not  already  arrived, 
when  we  shall  celebrate  this  field  as  a  festival  of 
peace  rather  than  a  festival  of  war*  The  issues 
which  developed  and  governed  our  people  during 
the  war  are  no  more.  They  rest  under  the  sod 
which  so  tenderly  shelters  the  blue  and  the  gray. 
There  was  a  time  when  the  fall  of  the  Bastile 


1-1 


sent  France  into  contending:  factions.  But  is  there 
a  Frenchman  who  would  reconstruct  the  Bastile  ? 
There  was  a  time  when  worthy  American 
citizens,  whose  descendants  live  respected  among 
us,  walked  past  Carpenters'  Hall  and  Independ- 
ence Hall  with  averted  eyes,  because  of  the  treason 
propounded  there  against  their  gracious  sover- 
eign. But  is  there  an  American  who  would  tol- 
erate the  standard  of  St.  George  in  the  place  of 
the  "  Star-Spangled  Banner  ?  n  So  with  the  ques- 
tions that  have  sought  the  determination  of  the 
sword.  I  doubt  if  there  be  a  dozen  intelligent 
men  among  those  who  followed  Lee  from  those 
Cashtown  Hills,  or  charged  with  Pickett  over 
these  clover  blossoming  fields,  who,  with  the 
knowledge  open  to  whoever  will  read  and  think, 
and  our  recent  experiences  in  self-government, 
would  revive  the  Lost  Cause,  with  all  therein 
implied*  It  was  a  delusion,  foolish,  frenzied,  im- 
possible. The  cannon  shot  alone  could  bring  the 
true  awakening.  And  none  in  our  citizenship 
breathe  more  freely  than  those  who  passed 
through  the  dreadful  delusion. 

The  peace  thus  attained,  and  as  attained, 
was  good  for  the  North  as  well  as  the  South.  A 
soldier  who  in  a  humble  way  was  a  part  of  that 
struggle,  I  should  feel  that  even  victory  was 
barren  which  did  not  bring  with  it  reconciliation. 

15 


"We  bore  from  this  field  the  olive  branch  as  the 
unfading-  emblem  of  fraternity,  rather  than  the 
laurel,  with  the  suggestions  of  strife*  We  bear 
the  olive  branch  to-day,  and  in  its  proffer,  as  well 
as  in  a  loyal  acceptance  of  that  proffer  by  our 
southern  friends,  we  have,  I  am  proud  to  believe, 
the  consummation  of  an  undying  and  invincible 
Union. 

We  should  remember,  also,  that  this  was  a 
war  of  the  people;  that  the  soldiers  who  came 
upon  this  field  were  but  an  armed  expression  of 
the  loyalty  which  remained  at  home*  It  is  not 
alone  those  within  the  enemies'  musket  range 
who  do  the  battle.  Gruel  indeed,  cruel  and  un- 
availing, would  be  the  war  which  was  not  sus- 
tained by  the  efforts  and  prayers  of  the  people* 
Therefore,  it  is  true  that  those  who  by  their  exer- 
tions, sacrifices  and  prayers,  made  possible  an 
honorable  war,  should  be  remembered  and  es- 
teemed for  their  patriotism*  Without  that  sup- 
port, without  a  nation's  resources  and  credit  to 
command,  no  civilized  country  could  conduct  a 
just  war.  Our  soldiers  would  be  adventurers  and 
marauders,  like  those  who  followed  Attila  and 
Tamerlane,  mere  robbers  who  made  desolation 
and  called  it  peace ;  before  whose  fury  no  living 
thing  could  endure,  whose  trophies  were  mounds 
of  skulls,  who  revelled  in  destruction,  for  the  joy 

16 


of  rapine,  and  under  whose  sway  was  neither 
clemency,  magnanimity  nor  justice.  It  was  not 
so  with  those  who  fought  on  these  Pennsylvania 
plains.  It  was  not  glory,  nor  preferment,  nor 
booty,  nor  slaking  the  thirst  for  blood — victory 
brought  no  exultation  over  a  beaten  foe,  nor  joy 
in  his  misfortune ;  war  was  justice,  cold,  uncom- 
promising, immutable*  War  was  chastisement, 
not  conquest.  No  gun  was  fired  in  anger.  No, 
my  friends ;  not  in  anger ;  but  with  a  determina- 
tion that  right  should  endure.  That  assured,  and 
peace  alone  remained.  On  this  and  in  the  highest 
attribute  of  charity,  patience  and  mercy,  the  seces- 
sion war  stands  unique  among  campaigns*  There 
was  no  ravaging  of  the  Palatinate ;  no  storming 
of  Saragossa ;  no  blowing  of  prisoners  from  can- 
nons, as  in  India;  no  refusal  of  quarter,  as  at 
Plevna;  t^  burning  of  libraries  and  places  of 
sanctuary,  neither  confiscation  nor  banishment, 
nor  capital  punishment,  not  even  disfranchise- 
ment  attended  the  victories  of  the  North.  It  was 
because  by  war  alone  peace  could  come,  and  with 
peace  every  war-engendered  passion  vanished 
into  oblivion. 

Here,  likewise,  we  learned  what  manhood 
could  do  in  war.  Gettysburg  was  the  people's 
battle.  The  skill  of  the  schoolman  and  the  train- 
ing consequent  upon  military  experience  were  not 

17 


without  their  effect*  But  taken  all  in  all,  it  was 
the  American  man  fighting  the  American  man* 
Virginia  at  tierce  and  point  with  Pennsylvania, 
man  to  man*  and  a  stern  issue  between  them, 
with  no  arbitrament  but  arms*  If  we  fought  our 
brothers  we  made  a  fraternal  peace.  The  world 
in  marvel  has  seen  conquered  and  conqueror 
rising  from  the  dust  of  strife*  and  yet  ready  to 
march  under  one  flag  and  seek  a  common  enemy* 
This  is  what  we  understand  when  we  regard 
Gettysburg  as  a  people's  battle — not  the  battle 
of  the  hireling  and  the  adventurer.  There  was 
reason  in  the  provocation  to  war*  reason  and 
wisdom  in  peace.  We  were  one  at  the  beginning; 
we  are  one  at  the  end.  and  with  underlying,  inter- 
vening bonds  of  sympathy,  which  not  even  battle 
could  sever*  but  which  grew  in  strength  and  grace 
every  day.  No  American  can  regard  Gettysburg 
with  sorrow  or  shame.  The  Frenchman  looks  at 
Waterloo  with  a  humiliation  which  generations 
cannot  efface.  No  German  cares  to  evoke  the 
memories  of  Jena ;  nor  do  Englishmen  find  other 
than  a  soldier's  consolation  in  Saratoga,  New 
Orleans  or  the  Brandywine.  But  no  American, 
be  he  from  this  land  of  snow  or  yonder  land  of 
the  sun,  can  ride  over  Seminary  Ridge,  or  past 
the  fastnesses  of  the  Round  Tops,  with  any  sen- 
timent but  regret  for  those  who  fought  here, 

18 


whether  blue  or  gray,  and  no  dearer  hope  than 
that  when  he  and  his  children  should  be  again 
summoned  to  arms  it  will  be  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
not  face  to  face,  and  that  the  valor  which  fought 
and  won  and  lost  at  Gettysburg  may  still  endure. 

Gettysburg  is  what  Byron  might  have  called 
a  "king-making  victory" — the  agency  by  which 
an  all-seeing,  inscrutable  Providence  was  to  sway 
the  destiny  of  a  nation.  It  is  to  misunderstand, 
to  belittle  the  philosophy,  we  might  even  venture 
to  say  the  piety,  of  such  an  event  to  see  in  it 
nothing  but  the  chivalry  and  pomp  of  war.  Not 
in  our  day  will  we  understand  what  was  done 
here — its  historical  fulness  and  fruition.  That 
will  be  made  clear  in  far-off  seasons  that  we  may 
not  see.  As  our  generation  recedes,  as  we  drift 
from  the  current  living  tides  of  the  hour  into  the 
placid  sea  of  history,  Gettysburg  looms  before 
and  above  us,  covering  the  horizon ;  thus  looming, 
we  see  something  of  its  magnitude  and  splendor. 
It  is  as  the  peak  to  the  wayfarer,  under  whose 
shadow  he  seems  to  rest,  but  which  Etna-like, 
pierces  the  immeasurable  heavens  miles  and  miles 
away. 

Thus  it  is  that  Gettysburg  may  be  said  to 
tower  over  the  eventful  teeming  century  now 
drawing  to  a  close.  This  nineteenth  century  has 
been  rich  in  warlike  renown.  It  has  seen 

19 


Marengo,  where  a  young  captain  scaled  the  Alps 
to  descend  upon  a  conquered  Italy  and  ascend  an 
imperial  throne.  It  has  seen  Austerlitz,  the  battle 
of  the  three  Emperors,  where  the  Kings  of  Europe 
were  brought  to  the  feet  of  a  ruler  whose  sceptre 
was  his  sword.  It  heard  the  roar  of  Waterloo, 
the  world's  earthquake,  in  which  was  engulfed 
the  greatest  soldier  since  Caesar — which  taught 
even  a  Napoleon — that  "tempted  fate,  would 
leave  the  loftiest  star."  It  has  seen  Navarino, 
where  the  European  power  of  Islam  was  broken ; 
where  beautiful,  renowned  and  harried  Greece 
was  rescued  from  the  scimeter  of  the  Caliphs  and 
restored  to  her  venerable  and  illustrious  place 
among  nations.  It  has  seen  Cerre  Gordo,  where 
the  genius  and  valor  of  a  handful  of  men  — 
Meade,  McQellan,  Lee  and  Longstreet,  fighting 
side  by  side —  gave  us  our  El  Dorado  empire.  It 
has  seen  Sebastopol,  which  checked  the  advance 
of  the  Cossack  upon  the  Bosphorus;  Solferino, 
which  assured  Italy  freedom  and  autonomy ;  Sa- 
dowa,  which  gave  Prussia  the  primacy  among 
German  powers;  Plevna,  which  made  possible 
the  Russian  road  to  Constantinople,  and  Sedan, 
the  complement  of  Waterloo,  which  overthrew 
the  Napoleonic  legend  and  realized  the  hopes  of 
Barrosa. 

Yes;  the  nineteenth  century  may  well  be 


called  the  century  of  world-changing  events — 
of  triumph  and  catastrophe,  of  a  people  trodden 
under  the  heels  of  the  invader — of  a  people  rising 
in  their  majesty  and  establishing  freedom  upon 
the  ruins  of  thrones.  A  century  of  invention, 
progress,  humanity,  industry,  and  civilization, 
it  has  likewise  been  a  century  of  war*  Among 
the  achievements  thus  recited,  their  glory  encirc- 
ling, as  though  it  were  a  zone,  the  proudest  of 
nations,  none  surpasses  the  glory  of  Gettysburg. 
This  we  may  well  say,  whether  we  consider  what 
was  done  here,  or  the  political  and  moral  conse- 
quence of  what  must  ever  be  chronicled  as  among 
the  noblest  of  victories.  In  the  largest  sense,  it  was 
the  triumph  of  freedom  over  slavery;  the  con- 
firmation of  our  fathers'  pledges  in  behalf  of 
"life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness ;"  the 
victory  of  order  over  chaos ;  the  consolidation  of 
the  Union  into  a  firm,  unquestioned  government ; 
the  assurance  of  mankind  that  the  Republic  was 
builded  upon  a  rock,  and  not  upon  crumbling, 
shifting  sands — builded  to  endure  until  time  was 
no  more.  It  was  the  victory  of  the  ballot  over 
the  bayonet ;  the  asseveration  of  the  people  that 
their  will  expressed  through  the  franchise  had 
the  majesty  of  law.  It  was  the  triumph  of  the 
republican  over  other  systems  of  government,  re- 
membering, as  we  should  never  forget,  that  no 


21 


Confederate  gun  would  have  been  fired  at  Get- 
tysburg but  for  the  aid  and  inspiration  of  un- 
friendly Powers  —  to  whom  democracy  was 
abhorrent,  and  not  to  be  endured.  Gettysburg 
was  the  victory  of  knowledge  over  ignorance,  of 
humanity  over  tyranny,  of  wisdom  as  against 
folly,  of  the  schoolhouse  superseding  and  sup- 
pressing the  auction-block  and  the  shackles  of 
the  slave,  of  patriotism  conquering  rebellion,  of 
truth  opposed  to  falsehood.  It  was  Lincoln  tak- 
ing hands  with  Washington  to  save  the  Republic 
which  our  first  President  had  founded.  Upon 
this  field  caste  fell,  freedom  arose  never  to  fall 
again,  and  American  valor  found  its  warrant  to 
be  respected  over  the  world. 

There  is  a  quaint  German  legend,  some- 
where, embodied  in  verse,  telling  how  at  times 
the  great  Emperor,  on  his  breast  a  blazing  star, 
comes  from  his  jasper  tomb  under  the  gilded 
dome,  and  surrounded  by  a  phantom  staff  of  the 
heroes  whose  genius  gave  him  sovereignty  and 
fame,  holds  his  sombre,  silent  midnight  review. 
Before  him  pass  the  ghostly  columns  of  the  sol- 
diers who  once  bore  his  eagles  to  the  Danube 
and  the  Elbe,  to  Wagram  and  Friedland,  and  the 
Beresino,  into  almost  every  European  capital. 
There,  blood-stained,  you  see  Murat  as  eager  as 
when  his  plumes  waved  armies  to  the  battery 


22 


and  the  breach*  There  is  Ney,  the  bravest  of  the 
brave.  At  the  Emperor's  side  note  the  tender, 
chivalrous  Desaix,  who  gave  his  life  that  his 
friend  and  commander  might  win  a  crown. 
Lannes,  no  longer  writhing  upon  the  battlefield, 
but  as  triumphant  as  when  he  fought  at  Auster- 
litz.  The  virtuous  and  knightly  Macdonald, 
wearing  the  sabre  which  marked  his  master's 
esteem.  Berthier,  Junot,  Duroc,  Bertrand,  Keller- 
man,  Soult,  sit  in  mute  homage  to  the  Imperial 
spectre  who  wears  the  shining  star.  The  Penn- 
sylvanian  who  looks  over  this  memorable  field, 
now  teeming  with  the  wealth  of  valley  and  mea- 
dow, and  radiant  with  summer  beauty,  may,  in 
the  spirit  of  this  German  legend,  summon  another 
review.  He  may  likewise  see  in  the  shadows 
another  mighty  host  of  soldiers  and  great  cap- 
tains, who  come  once  more  to  visit  this  field  of 
their  devotion  and  their  fame.  Under  the  bene- 
diction of  the  star-lit  heavens  he  may  with  rever- 
ence recall  their  deeds — their  triumphs,  perhaps, 
that  supreme  consecration  which  gave  them  death 
under  their  flag — a  blessed  death  indeed.  In 
grateful  remembrance  and  worship  he  may  see 
the  silent  host  pass  on.  Meade  rides  in  the  ad- 
vance— the  Bayard  of  Pennsylvania's  heroes; 
calm,  fearless,  confident,  in  whose  wise  judgment 
largely  rested  the  destiny  of  a  great  people. 


23 


Reynolds,  of  Lancaster,  is  near  him,  glowing 
with  impatient  valor  which  was  to  win  for  him 
the  felicity  of  dying  for  Pennsylvania — on  his 
State's  dear  soil.  There  you  note  Humphreys 
among  our  modest  heroes,  his  fame  to  be  partly 
forgotten  in  the  blare  of  events,  but  coming  to 
due  and  lasting  recognition,  Geary,  his  face 
worn  with  service  in  other  wars,  the  founding  of 
our  Pacific  empire  and  of  the  free  Commonwealth 
of  Kansas — higher  honors  awaiting  him  from 
his  native  State — silently  passes  at  the  head  of 
his  brave  command.  Alexander  Hays,  rugged, 
emphatic,  the  Scotch-Irish  lines  in  his  face — so 
soon  to  go  down  to  the  death  of  his  dearest 
choice  in  Virginia  trenches — leads  his  men. 
Kane,  of  the  Bucktails,  the  brilliant,  impetuous 
possessor  of  a  famous  name,  is  still  eager  for  the 
strife*  Our  own  Birney,  championing  on  the 
field  the  love  of  freedom  which  came  with  his 
blood.  Hector  Tyndale,  with  his  stern  faith  in 
what  he  deemed  the  truth.  The  brave  and  gentle 
Crawford,  to  whom  the  severest  duty  was  a  joy. 
McCandless,  always  a  partisan,  but  ever  a  patriot. 
Many  other  captains  sacred  to  us  because  of  what 
they  did,  who  have  been  transferred  from  the 
roster  of  time  to  the  muster-roll  of  eternity.  And 
so  the  long  and  shadowy  line  of  heroes  passes 
on  in  this  sombre,  silent  midnight  review. 


There  as  on  that  most  memorable  day — the 
culminating-  glory  of  his  undying  fame,  proud, 
defiant,  triumphant,  exhilaration  in  the  cannon- 
shot — victory  in  his  mien,  enthusiasm  in  his 
example,  even  as  amid  the  crash  and  war  of  his 
cannonade,  the  illumination  of  battle  upon  his 
handsome,  martial  face,  he  rode  the  Union  line, 
his  words  a  summons  to  the  field  from  which  he 
was  soon  to  be  borne,  stricken  with  heavy 
wounds,  the  mighty  shade  of  our  comrade  in 
arms,  "of  stainless  name,  of  unblotted  record,  of 
immortal  memory,"  our  Hancock  passes  in  re- 
view* This  illustrious  commander  of  a  chival- 
rous army  fitly  represents  the  chivalry  of  the  wan 
This  is  the  man  whom  to-day  we  came  to  honor* 
And  thus  he  passes  in  solemn  midnight  review* 

No  great  captain,  wearing  the  shining  star, 
with  memories  of  tyranny  and  rapine,  to  darken 
those  of  imperial  renown,  holds  this  stately  cere- 
mony. The  shades  of  Gettysburg  march  in  re- 
view before  even  a  mightier  shade  than  that  of 
Napoleon.  This  sublime  presence,  before  whom 
the  shadows  pass,  this,  their  beloved,  immortal 
Lincoln,  who  returns  their  salute  with  a  most 
gracious,  sad  smile,  likewise  shed  his  blood,  and 
from  his  heart  and  brain  came  the  inspiration 
which  impelled  them  to  victory*  Lincoln  was 
with  them  in  sorrow  and  pain ;  he  is  with  them 

25 


now,  even  in  this  midnight  review,  sharing  with 
them  the  joy  of  silence  and  peace,  bequeathing 
the  lesson  of  his  life  and  his  death*  Even  as  the 
poet,  while  chanting  "Morituri  Salutamus," 
would  have  us  take  courage  from  the  examples 
of  the  dead,  so  do  we,  as  this  silent  pageant  is 
suffused  into  impartial,  enfolding  night,  pray 
that  should  the  hour  come  to  the  present  as  it 
came  to  the  past  generation,  our  people  may 
emulate  the  self-sacrifice  and  devotion  to  which 
this  field  bears  everlasting  tribute*  Let  them 
remember  as  they  invoke  this  august  presence, 
"To  take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for 
which "  their  fathers  and  brothers  "gave  the  last 
full  measure  of  devotion,"  and  never  forget  the 
message  which  fell  from  his  lips,  as  the  sacred 
lesson  of  Gettysburg,  that  the  "government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall  not 
perish  from  the  earth." 

The  clang  and  din  of  battle  here  gives  place 
to  the  soothing  voices  of  the  night.  The  furrows 
once  torn  with  suffering  and  death,  now  yield  to 
the  ripening  grain.  The  reapers  sing  a  song  of 
peace.  The  fear  of  imminent  doom  no  longer 
darkens  the  fireside.  Even  as  war  loses  its  hor- 
rors, and  the  fancy  of  the  orator  and  poet  clothes 
its  most  terrible  deeds  as  with  roses  and  ivy,  so 
this  battlefield  will  rest  under  the  halo  of  magna- 

26 


nimity.  fellowship  and  romance*  The  Gettys- 
burg of  the  Secession  war,  fast  melting  into 
history,  will  become  the  Marathon  of  a  new 
generation.  Those  of  us  remaining,  who  with 
firm  set  lips  and  strained  eyes  listened  to  its 
roar,  realize  that  its  achievements  stripped  of 
their  struggles  and  sorrows,  are  becoming  a  part 
of  an  insensible,  almost  a  traditional,  past.  It  is 
no  longer  a  memory  of  those  and  to  those  who 
fought  through  the  summer  days,  but  a  section 
of  history  to  be  studied  while  the  years  go  on. 
with  Agincourt.  Blenheim  and  Saratoga.  The 
silent  host  passes  on  to  be  lost  in  the  shadows 
and  the  gloom. 


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